Is Braun Strowman Officially A Star?

[Wildcat66]

What a difference two years can make to a wrestler sometimes. When Braun Strowman first debuted, people thought he would quickly burn out; a mediocre wrestler, he just didn't bring that much to the table and seemingly served only to be a part of the Wyatt Family.

Two years later, he's getting praised by wrestling fans for his athleticism, raw strength, improved in-ring ability and his natural charisma. Just this year alone, he's had great matches with Roman Reigns, Big Show, Samoa Joe and Seth Rollins among other people. And in a few weeks, Braun Strowman will compete in a fatal four way to determine the new WWE Universal Champion.

So with all that being said, I think now is the perfect time to ask the question: Is Braun Strowman officially a legitimate star or have we not yet crossed that threshold?

 

[JoeMallard]

If Braun isn't a star, nobody besides Cena, Orton and Styles are.

 

[Kodo Sawaki]

Is he a star? Sure

Is he a big star? Ill believe in that after he gets something other to do then get a cheap smark pop because he is throwing Roman Reigns around.

 

[Hyorinmaru]

He consistently putting on good matches as one of the focal points of the RAW main event scene.

He is consistently getting a very vocal reaction from the crowd.

And last but not least he is consistently getting better.

Yes he is a star and he will be one for many years.

 

[Deoxyribonucleic A.C.I.D.]

He gets a big reaction. He's one of RAW's best acts if not the best act on RAW. Has been on every RAW highlight since January. Is he a guy that draws people in? Not yet. In that aspect, he's not a SUPER star. But a star? Well, of course. Without a doubt.

And they should just give him the title at Summerslam and then move to a feud with free agent John Cena.

 

[HORRORHOLIC]

Yeah he is a star for sure. They seem to being all out with them which is what they need to do if they want him to work. He needs to keep momentum.

 

[ShinChan]

Yes, he's a star. He has the potential to become an even bigger star. He has performed very well in his first year as singles competitor. Plus, he has been booked aptly and hasn't been forced upon.

I've high hopes for him in the future.

 

[yourdamnluck]

yeah. He's a star. His current feud with Roman may very well be a career defining feud for both these guys.
No doubt strowman is good in ring. The amount of physicality he brings has brought back memories from the glory days of wrestling.

 

[Jeff Deliverer of Mail]

Just look at his feud with Roman Reigns. There is amazing visuals throughout which makes for the absolute best pre match packages I've ever seen.

• Braun chokeslams/ragdolls Roman on the commentators table that doesn't break

• Braun powerslams Roman through table set up in corner

• Braun throws Roman over equipment like he weighs nothing

• Braun rolls Roman off a ramp in a stretcher on to concrete.

• Braun grabs the side of an ambulance and flips it on to it's side with Roman inside

• Roman nails Braun through a barricade with spear

• Braun throws Roman into top turnbuckle that breaks and springs back in Romans face

• Braun brings down steel steps on Romans gut like a piece of construction equipment

• Roman spits blood on wall/ Braun breaks door off of the Ambulance with missed charge

• Braun is thrown through LED wall

• Roman attempts murder by crashing the Ambulance into the back of a truck/ Braun crawls out gives camera a bloody stare

• Braun throws swivel chair like a fastball at Romans face

• Huge spear to end Raw/ Braun wins anyway


That's just one feud people. Unreal visuals. He's had some nice moments with others as well, collapsing the ring with Big Show, obliterating James Elsworth plus throwing no names down the ramp from the ring for Olympic human tossing records.....


Ya, I'd say he's a star. He will be a heavyweight champion sometime in the future, no doubt.

 

[HORRORHOLIC]

Braun could very well be the guy Vince wants Reigns to be. He's bigger, he's far more popular, someone fans can get behind. If anyone beats Lesnar one on one at Wrestlemania maybe it should be him.

 

[BestSportsEntertainer]

Yes, Strowman has been one of the best wrestlers in WWE over the last few months. His feud with Reigns has been one of the best in years.

He has presence and feels like a star. When his music hits, everyone is immediately interested. You know you're about to be entertained.

He may not be a huge draw yet, but he's the biggest full time star right behind Reigns.

 

[Dagger Dias]

I've mentioned it before that I was wrong about Strowman. When he first left the Wyatts I thought he would be just another generic boring big guy who squashes jobbers and then gets fired after losing to Cena or some other top face. Strowman not only proved me wrong but made a fan out of me. His feud with Reigns has been fantastic. I don't see him ever being the face of the company or anything like that, no, but the guy is definitely the next big main event level monster. He is a star in that aspect. I'm all for him becoming Universal Champion at Summerslam at this point.

 

[GOOZEKING]

Put him in a feud with people other than John Cena and Roman Reigns who get negative reactions no matter what and we will see if he is actually a star. Until Braun proves to me that the reaction he is getting is because of him and not because he is beating up Roman, then he is just a guy.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

He consistently putting on good matches as one of the focal points of the RAW main event scene.

He is consistently getting a very vocal reaction from the crowd.

And last but not least he is consistently getting better.

Yes he is a star and he will be one for many years.

This is exactly how I look at it. Like some others, I wasn't sure what to make of Strowman once he was on his own and repackaged a bit but I can honestly say that I did saw potential. He was big, powerful and had an overwhelming physical presence, those are never bad things to have but I wanted to see if he was more than just a big guy.

His program with Reigns has been great but I think what ultimately put me over the top for Strowman being a star was his first match with Big Show. In this day and age, matches between super heavyweights aren't exactly what drives fans wild; such matches are often at a very slow, sometimes downright plodding pace that sucks the energy out of the room. Both Show and Strowman are in fantastic shape, especially to be as big as they are, but what I was hoping to see out of this match was Strowman be dominant in a spectacular fashion and he was. The match was well paced, Strowman showed a lot of power and a surprising level of athleticism. It's a pretty impressive feat these days when a super heavyweight bout gets a strong positive response.

I agree with Dagger that he'll almost certainly not be the "face" of the company, but Strowman has worked really hard and has continued to improve along the way. I have little doubt that he'll be either Universal or WWE Champion, maybe both at some point, in his career and barring injury, backstage heat or letting himself get out of shape, he's going to be the upper mid-card/main event level monster for much of the next decade.

 

[Psykohurricane55]

i Kind feel like No not really yet. Probably in the eyes of the IWC he is, i can't answer that but what i see his somebody that they are trying to push to be the next monster that Lesnar destroy. That's kinda how i see it.

The fact is, while he is in the main event of summerslam, he's not on the level of the other three yet. Joe, Reigns and Lesnar still sell more tickets then Braun and it's shows how Vince see him by the way Braun has been book in his feud with Reigns. How many matches did Braun won against Reigns without luck being on his side or somebody else helping him or even worst, having Reigns gets his revenge after the match. To My knowledge i would say 0. He won a lot of matches against Reigns and look dominant during those matches but always won them in a way that made him look bad in the end.

That why i see him more as somebody they are building just so Lesnar can destroy him in the end and they probably put him in the upper midcard after that destroying smaller guys or even worst, send him to smackdown after that.

That's too bad because i really like him, outside Roman Reigns, he's my favorite guy on the raw roster right now because i love those type of big brawler type wrestlers more that the technical guys or the high spot guys like finn balor. But when i see Braun, i see somebody that will go down in the same list as Ryback and Mark Henry as guys the build up to be monsters only to be destroyed by a top guy and then forgotten.

 

[That N Word]

Is he a star? Sure

Is he a big star? Ill believe in that after he gets something other to do then get a cheap smark pop because he is throwing Roman Reigns around.

^This. I was coming initially to vote "He is," but that's a point well taken. Braun Strowman is definitely one of the most over names on the roster and one of the only ones in recent to break that proverbial "Glass ceiling." However, you have to keep in mind that Roman Reigns, Big Show, and Sami Zayn were his only real rivalries, with the middle being branched in with the former's storyline. Strowman's rivalry with Sami Zayn was better than it had any right to be, but it wasn't until he began feuding with Roman Reigns that he truly got over. With that in mind, I'd definitely say he will be a star and is very close to getting there and has been selling out arena's with his matches with Roman Reigns.

Right now, it's a "Not quite yet" for me and I'm one of his biggest fans on the roster. How his next two rivalries are handled will be the deciding factors on your answer.

 

[stingray11214]

In a nutshell? No. Do you watch Raw for Braun Strowman? How much merch does he push? Do you buy tickets to a House show because you just gotta see Braun Strowman? More then likely, the answer is no. Look, he is in a feud with Roman Reigns. Whoopee! The fans love the fact that Strowman is kicking the shit out of Reigns. If it was Enzo Amore, Heath Slater, James Ellsworth or my 5 Year old niece beating up Roman Reigns, they would get the same reaction Strowman is getting.

People should also see the reactions when Strowman is fighting 2 or three nobodies. You basically get what Jinder Mahal is getting: crickets. Now, some of you want to give him the Universal strap. Really? You will get the same reactions that Mahal is getting. I guess some of you like the noise of crickets. This is not to say that Strowman is not on his way to stardom. He is. He is not there yet.

 

[HORRORHOLIC]

But he's been getting a good reaction against others like The Big Show for example.

 

[Dmbfantomas]

In a nutshell? No. Do you watch Raw for Braun Strowman? How much merch does he push? Do you buy tickets to a House show because you just gotta see Braun Strowman? More then likely, the answer is no. Look, he is in a feud with Roman Reigns. Whoopee! The fans love the fact that Strowman is kicking the shit out of Reigns. If it was Enzo Amore, Heath Slater, James Ellsworth or my 5 Year old niece beating up Roman Reigns, they would get the same reaction Strowman is getting.

People should also see the reactions when Strowman is fighting 2 or three nobodies. You basically get what Jinder Mahal is getting: crickets. Now, some of you want to give him the Universal strap. Really? You will get the same reactions that Mahal is getting. I guess some of you like the noise of crickets. This is not to say that Strowman is not on his way to stardom. He is. He is not there yet.

1. He is the primary reason I watch Raw.

2. No idea.

3. If one were near me, yes. He's must watch for me. I love watching absurdly strong human beings do strong people shit.

 

[ShinChan]

Even I watch Raw for Braun Strowman. Plus, I don't think that any other monster had performed so well initially in his career. Ryback squashed the jobbers but never had as intimidating presence as Braun Strowman. Plus, this feud with Roman Reigns has been damn good. Like I said, I can't recall any other monster being so good in intial phase of his career.

 

[Psykohurricane55]

it's kinda weird when you think about it. Braun Strowman was pretty much doing this exact personna since he started on the main roster but all it took for him to be appreciate by adult fans was to take him out of the wyatt and put him in a feud with the one guy they don't like.

WOW, if WWE would have known that earlier, Braun probably be a multi time WWE champion by now. That's kinda weird that the smallest change in character can make or break somebody.

Braun is still the same bad ass character he was when he started with the wyatt, but the difference is that now he'S on his own and can actually advance is own character instead of relying on Bray to advance it for him, pretty much the same thing they did with Reigns yet fans feel like Reigns was push to quickly but like Braun. Amazing how wrestling fans mind works.

 

[Барбоса]

If anyone in the RAW main event has come out of 2017 so far looking like a star (aside from Brock), it is Samoa Joe.

While Braun has improved at a rate of knots, Joe burst onto the scene, crushed Rollins, beat Reigns, stood toe to toe with Brock, looking like a real threat to the Conqueror even in narrow defeat, all the while demonstrating a real prowess on the mic.

Of the four Reigns has been the least impressive, although that is not necessarily a dig at Roman. He has to do much more to catch the eye - Brock is Brock, Braun started from very low down and Joe was debuting.

 

[ShinChan]

it's kinda weird when you think about it. Braun Strowman was pretty much doing this exact personna since he started on the main roster but all it took for him to be appreciate by adult fans was to take him out of the wyatt and put him in a feud with the one guy they don't like.

WOW, if WWE would have known that earlier, Braun probably be a multi time WWE champion by now. That's kinda weird that the smallest change in character can make or break somebody.

Braun is still the same bad ass character he was when he started with the wyatt, but the difference is that now he'S on his own and can actually advance is own character instead of relying on Bray to advance it for him, pretty much the same thing they did with Reigns yet fans feel like Reigns was push to quickly but like Braun. Amazing how wrestling fans mind works.

Braun Strowman didn't win Royal Rumble without doing anything notable in singles competition. Braun Strowman didn't just main event Wrestlemania just after 6 months of starting his singles career. Braun Strowman was gradually built unlike Roman Reigns. Braun Strowman didn't get even a place on WrestleMania's main show unlike Roman Reigns who main evented. Braun Strowman wasn't forced unlike Roman Reigns.

 

[Psykohurricane55]

Braun Strowman didn't win Royal Rumble without doing anything notable in singles competition. Braun Strowman didn't just main event Wrestlemania just after 6 months of starting his singles career. Braun Strowman was gradually built unlike Roman Reigns. Braun Strowman didn't get even a place on WrestleMania's main show unlike Roman Reigns who main evented. Braun Strowman wasn't forced unlike Roman Reigns.

That's where you're wrong, how long was reigns part of the shield before getting push into a single?

He also was the most over of the three when they did the break up and if it wasn't for his hernia he got three months after the break up, he would have stay that way in my opinion. So i guess that if your WWE, you don't want to make money by pushing your most over babyface? you just go and let push somebody else because some fans that use to love this guy suddenly decided to turn on him because WWE gave them what they wanted all along and now they decided to change their mind.

Let face it, if you change Reigns for strowman in this scenario and Strowman is the one the been in WWE for all these years and got the exact same push that Reigns got after the break up, fans would like strowman the way they do now. Strowman has been in the company for three years now and he'S already getting a big push because of his size, which is almost exactly the same as Reigns. You might not be a fan of reigns, but in the end, Reigns and strowman are almost the same as far as push are concern, the only difference is that reigns can deliver great matches in the ring and does connect with the audience. Strowman needs reigns to stay over, Reigns doesn't need him that the difference between the 2.

 

[ShinChan]

That's where you're wrong, how long was reigns part of the shield before getting push into a single?

He also was the most over of the three when they did the break up and if it wasn't for his hernia he got three months after the break up, he would have stay that way in my opinion. So i guess that if your WWE, you don't want to make money by pushing your most over babyface? you just go and let push somebody else because some fans that use to love this guy suddenly decided to turn on him because WWE gave them what they wanted all along and now they decided to change their mind.

Let face it, if you change Reigns for strowman in this scenario and Strowman is the one the been in WWE for all these years and got the exact same push that Reigns got after the break up, fans would like strowman the way they do now. Strowman has been in the company for three years now and he'S already getting a big push because of his size, which is almost exactly the same as Reigns. You might not be a fan of reigns, but in the end, Reigns and strowman are almost the same as far as push are concern, the only difference is that reigns can deliver great matches in the ring and does connect with the audience. Strowman needs reigns to stay over, Reigns doesn't need him that the difference between the 2.

You don't seem to remember that I'm a fan of Reigns as well. Just because I criticise him constructively, doesn't mean that I hate him.

Whatever notable Reigns did was as a part of Shield. Not as Roman Reigns. And I don't know how you think that he was the most over baby face? Dean Ambrose was. He was having some entertaining matches and segments with Seth Rollins. Not Roman Reigns. You won't admit but Roman Reigns wasn't ready. He wasn't regardless of my like or dislike towards him.

Remember how there were reports of Braun Strowman facing The Undertaker? They mostly faced a negative reaction because Strowman wasn't ready either. Strowman had nothing notable as a singles competitor. Just like Roman Reigns. But he wasn't forced like Roman Reigns. Braun Strowman was gradually built and he gained a following by his performance and some good booking. Not a 50-50 following. Stop discrediting his performance by giving all credit to Roman Reigns. This feud has done favours to both. Not just one way around.

Also, stop justifying Reigns' premature rocket push. He wasn't ready and his performances before the push proved that.

Again Braun Strowman hasn't been over pushed like Roman Reigns. He hasn't won Royal Rumble or main evented Wrestlemania. He wasn't even on the main show itself. How's booking similar then? A lot of difference between "gradual" and "forced".